Cover handling device



Feb. 14, 1939. E. R, ALUNG 2,147,477

COVER HANDLING DEVICE Filed March 7, 1955 3 sh`eetssheet 1 H rro @New Feb. 14, 1939. E, R. ALLING 1117,47?

COVER HANDJNG DEVICE Filed March 7, 1935 3 SheeiS-Sheet 2.

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Feb. 14, 1939. E. R. ALLING 2,147,477

f covER HANDLING DEVICE Filed March 7, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Feb.v 14, 1939 N UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application March '7,

3 claims.

My invention relates in general to devices for handling receptacle covers, and in particular to a device for placing washed covers upon receptacles which have been discharged from a wash- 5, ing machine, such as that shown and described in my Patent No. 2,041,451, issued to me on May 19, 1936. My invention is applicable to the handling of numerous types of covers, but the device shown in the accompanying drawings is particularly designed for handling milk can covers, and this type of cover is shown and described for illustrative purposes.

It is well known to those skilled in the art that milk cans after having come from the washing machine are inverted by some suitable mechanical, hand-operated means and turned from a mouth-down position to a mouth-up position. It is highly desirable that the cans be immediately capped so as to prevent the entrance of any foreign matter, as for example, dust or bacteria-laden air.

It has been an object of my invention to provide means for feeding washed covers one at a time and placing them upon the upturned cans in a smooth, quiet maner without injury to the cover or can.

Another object has been to provide eflicient means for pressing the cover into the mouth of the can.

Moreover, my device is so designed that it does not need any adjustment for handling different sized covers or placing them upon receptacles of different sizes within the range of can sizes handled by the can washer.

35 My device is simpleY in its operation and is so designed as to not easily get out of working order.

The above objects and advantages have been accomplished by the device shown in the accompanying drawings, of which:

40 Fig. 1 shows a side, fragmentary, sectional view of my complete device, showing it in relation to an illustrative form of can washer.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, end elevation of my device.

45 Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the parts of the device in working position.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, detailed view of the cover hopper.

Fig. 5 is a'nV enlarged View of a detail ofi` the ejector.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, sectional, side elevation of my complete device.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged view of detailed parts of the structure.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary, side View of the cam 1935, Serial No. 9,804

(Cl. ,Z9- 84) mechanism in a position different from that shown in Fig. 1.

As hereinbefore stated, my device is applicable to any type of can washer and inverting mechanism and for clearness of illustration a frag- 5 mentary View only of the can washer I6 is shown and the means for turning the can from a mouthdown to a mouth-up position has been omitted. The cover feeding mechanism is shown somewhat in fragmentary manner and comprises a cover feeding dog bar and a stationary cover rack I2. The rack is provided with suitable indentations I3 for the reception of the covers I4. The dog bar carries a number of cover dogs I5 which are pivoted at I6 to the bar and so arranged that when the bar is reciprocated in a direction to the left of Fig. 1 the dogs will carry the covers from one recess I3 to the next succeeding recess. The forward dog will also serve to carry the forward cover I4 into the inclined guide Il. During the reverse movement of the dog bar, the dogs will be carried underneath the covers just previously placed until they are released from engagement with the covers and are moved by gravityV to their upright operating positions which occurs when they approach the end of their rearward travel. This dog bar, which forms a part of the can and cover washing device I, is operated by mechanism associated with the washing machine and may be driven by reciprocating link 20 actuated in suitable manner by a vertical shaft 2|. The vertical shaft 2| may be actuated by a reciprocating rod 22 which is in turn actuated by suitable mechanism (not shown) moved inA timed relation with my cover handling mechanism.

The inclined guide carries the cover from the forward end of the stationary cover rack I2 and causes it to roll downwardly into the cover hopper 25 of my device. This cover hopper is substantially U-shape in cross-section, having two interspaced side walls 26 and 21 connected together by an end Wall 28. The end of the hopper adjacent the lower end of the inclined guide is open for the reception of the cover. The hopper is, of course, provided with a bottom 29. Trunnions 3|) are provided at the bottom of the hopper and these trunnions are rotatably mounted in standards 3| carried by the platform 32 of my device. This platform is supported by suitable standards 33, to which is preferably attached side plates 34. Carried by one of the trunnions 3i] of the hopper is an elliptical sprocket wheel 36 over which a chain 31 is passed. A counterweight 38 is secured to 55 the free end of the chain and this counterweight serves to pull the hopper down to its operative position, as shown in Fig. 3, when it is released by the hopper cam means. These hopper cam means comprise a hopper cam 40 mounted upon a cam shaft 4I, and a cam lever 42. This lever is pivoted at 43 near its center and is provided at its outer end 44 with a roller 45 which engages the periphery of the cam 40. The opposite end 46 of the arm is pvotally connected to the lower end of the sprocket chain 31. The surface of the hopper cam 48 is such that during the greater part of its rotation, the circular portion 41 will maintain the hopper in its upright position shown in Fig. 2, and it is also provided with a depressed portion 48 which permits the end 44 of the arm to move downwardly, thus allowing the counterweight 38 to pull the hopper down. The walls 26 and 21 oi` the hopper are provided with two slots 58 through which the upper ends I of a cover ejector 52 are arranged to pass. These ends are provided with relatively long faces 53 so as to engage the cover and eject it from the hopper at any position within the range of the hopper. The ejector is pivotally mounted at its lower end 54 to the standards 3I and it is provided with a rearwardly extending arm 55. This arm is provided at its outer end with a cylindrical portion 56 in lwhich is pivotally mounted a connecting pin 51. This pin is formed with an aperture 58 in its projecting end through which the bent end 59 of a connecting rod 60 is passed. This rod extends downwardly through the platform 32 and is connected preferably by means of a universal joint 63 to the rear end 6I of a cam arm 62. The cam arm 62 is pivoted near its central portion to pivot 64 and its outer end 65 is in engagement with an ejector cam 66. This cam is designed to operate the arm 62 at one point only in its rotation and in timed relation with the movement of the hopper so that the cover is ejected from the hopper when the hopper cornes to rest upon the top of the can as shown in Fig. 3. A counter- Weight 61 is carried by the end 6I of the cam arm 62 and serves to keep the ends 65 thereof in contact with the cam 66.

The cam shaft 4I is driven by any suitable means (not shown) so as to cause it to be suitably rotated. An auxiliary cam shaft is rotatably mounted in suitable bearings 1I (see Fig. '1) carried by the platform 32 and this shaft is connected to the cam shaft 4I by means of a sprocket chain 12 which passes over a sprocket wheel 13 carried by the shaft 4I and a sprocket wheel 14 carried by the shaft 10. The sprocket wheels 13 and 14 each have preferably the same number of teeth so that the shafts will be rotated at the same speed.

A presser 80 is provided in my device. This presser comprises a presser arm BI which is pivoted at 82 preferably to the rearward end of the can washing machine I0. It extends rearwardly and has a presser pad 18 at its outer end for engagement with the cover of the can. The arm is of such length that the presser pad 18 comes at preferably the center of the can when it has reached its place of momentary rest for the reception of the cover. The presser is actuated by a presser cam 83 which is carried by the auxiliary cam shaft 1l). A presser cam link 84 is arranged adjacent the cam 83 and its lower end is formed with a slot 85 which passes over the auxiliary cam shaft 10 and serves to guide this end of the link. A roller 86 is carried by the link 84 and is engageable with the periphery of the cam 83. The upper end of the link 84 is connected with a bracket 81 depending from the presser arm 8|. The presser cam is provided with a circular portion 88 which extends around a major portion of the periphery and with a depressed portion 89. The depressed portion is so designed and the roller 86 is so positioned that the presser pad will be able to descend into the depressed portion 38 when the smallest size cans are being handled. In the drawings, one of the medium or larger size cans is shown as being covered and the roller 86 is, therefore, a considerable distance above the bottom of the depressed portion 89.

When my device is to be used, cans are fed to it intermittently as they come from the can washer I6 and inverting mechanism (not shown), and they come to momentary rest in, the position shown by the can 90. A cover I4, having been previously fed to the inclined guide and into the hopper 25, is held in the position shown in Fig. 2, and when the can 90 comes to rest in the position shown in Figs. l and 3, the hopper cam 40 will permit the arm 42 to be oscillated in a clockwise direction under the weight of the counterweight 38. This permits the chain 31 to move upwardly and cause the elliptical sprocket 36 to be rotated. As clearly shown inFig. 2, the portion of the sprocket having the greatest radius is in position when the sprocket is located as shown in Fig. 2. The counterweight 38 will, therefore, have the greatest pull upon the sprocket and serve to quickly operate the hopper 25. The movement of the hopper is limited by its engagement with the upper lip of the can 90, as shown in Fig. 3. When the hopper has reached this position, the ejector 52 will be actuated by the ejector cam 66 through the medium of the arm 62 and link 6D which will cause the cover to be pushed out of the hopper and into the mouth of the can, as also shown in Fig. 3. The ejector will immediately return to its normal position and the hopper will also be immediately raised which in some types of covers will cause the same momentarily to be lifted slightly out of the mouth of the can, to fall back therein as soon as released by the edge of the hopper. The hopper will continue to return to its normal position, as shown in Fig. 2, where it will be at rest until the next can is presented for its cover. Just as soon as the hopper has released its engagement with the cover, the presser 80 will be actuated by gravity as the roller 86 leaves the circular portion 88 of the cam and tends to enter the depressed portion 89 there oi. The weight of the arm and its associated parts will thereby serve to bring the pad 19 down upon the cover I4 and serve to gently but effectively press it into the mouth of the can. After the cover has been placed upon the can 90, as shown in the drawings, the same will be fed oi of the platform 32 by suitable mechanism (not shown) and removed, as for instance, by a roller table 9|, and the next succeeding can to be covered will be placed upon the platform 32 and come to rest in the position shown by the can 90. As another can is moved to position, another cover I4 will also be rolled down the inclined guide I1 and into the hopper 25.

Obviously, some modiiications of the details herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims, and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to the exact embodiment herein shown and described, the form shown being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

claim is:

1. In a cover handling device, the combination with means for periodically feeding covers, of a pivotally'mounted cover hopper for receiving the covers, said hopper being formed in its side Walls with slots, and an ejector actuated in timed relation with the hopper and having upper ends so formed that when actuated they Will pass through the slots of the hopper and eject a cover therefrom.

2. In a cover handling devic-e, the combination with means for periodically feeding covers, of a pivotally mounted cover hopper for receiving the covers, a cam shaft, cam means carried by the shaft for co-operation with the hopper, an auxiliary cam shaft, means connecting the said shafts to cause them to rotate in timed relation, a

presser, a presser cam carried by the auxiliary cam shaft, and link means connecting the presser with the cam.

3. In a cover handling device, the combination with means for periodically feeding covers, of a pivotally mounted cover hopper for receiving the covers, a cam shaft, cam means carried by the shaft for co-operation with the hopper, an auxiliary cam shaft, means connecting the said shafts to cause them to rotate in timed relation, a presser, a presser cam carried by the auxiliary cam shaft, means connecting the presser with the cam comprising a link formed with a slot for engagement With the auxiliary shaft, and a roller carried by the link and engageable with the presser cam.

E. ROY ALLING. 

